Tim Brunney carries one of the signs he still has from his collection Thursday at his home in Lithopolis. Brunney had most of his antique sign collection stolen from another home he owns.

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It took 40 years for Tim Brunney to collect his more than 50-piece antique sign collection - and just moments for it to disappear.

Sitting in front of his hot pink "Buick Special" neon sign, Tim Brunney remembers exactly when and where he purchased the particular gem in his coveted sign collection, valued between $50,000 and $60,000.

The neon sign was one of the few pieces of Brunney's collection that the burglars left behind at his vacant property along Lithopolis Road when they broke in and removed each of the metal signs from the walls sometime between July 9 and 12. ...